Syed Atif Iqrar is an enthusiastic and ambitious researcher with an interdisciplinary interest in computational and experimental micro-total-analysis-systems (µTAS) including inertial microfluidics, Acoustofluidics, and Optofluidics. Syed received his Bachelor of Science (BS) degree major in Mechanical Engineering from International Islamic University, Islamabad with the distinction of the Presidential Gold Medal. Pursuing a passion for higher studies and research, Syed started his graduate studies with a specialization in computational fluid dynamics in one of the top-notch science and technology institutes of Pakistan, the National University of Science and Technology (NUST) where he carried out his research in the computational passive microfluidics realm. He worked as a research assistant in advanced computation and microfluidics laboratory where his research encompassed numerical simulation and parametric study of two particles in a U-shaped microchannel. Using COMSOL Multiphysics solvers, he designed a numerical technique for inter-particle relation translated through a curved microchannel. The key motivation and inspiration to lead this research were to numerically investigate the behavior of abnormal white blood cells characterized by cancer flowing through a blood serum in a passive or inertial microfluidic platform.

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After successfully finishing his master’s degree from NUST, he found an opportunity to pursue his interest in the field of microfluidics in one of the finest and high-ranked institutes in the world, KAIST, South Korea. During his ephemeral stay at KAIST, working as Graduate Research Associate, he worked with active and passive microfluidics techniques encompassing numerical
and experimental perspectives. He designed and fabricated acoustic transducers and microchannels using a cleanroom facility for manipulating micro-nano particles, microdroplets, and biomolecules. Besides the experimental perspective, He worked on numerical simulation for handling droplets and Nanoparticles using an acoustic streaming effect. Presenting his research work at an illustrious domestic conference organized by the Korean Society of Visualization was also a great experience to interact with the research community. During his research period at KAIST, Syed developed an acoustofluidic numerical model coupled for analyzing the interaction between traveling surface acoustic waves and fluid flow at the microscale for enhanced and efficacious mixing and separation of submicron scale particles through acoustic streaming effect (ASF).

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In the MONPLAS project, his task is to develop a “Portable and Low-cost photoluminescent (PL) based microfluidic device for the detection of micro and nano plastic particles ”. He will work on the construction of portable Photoluminescence (PL) absorption spectrometers. Initially, Syed will use the information on optical signatures for different types and nano/micron plastics obtained from microfluidics know-how. This will determine the most effective components for portable spectrometers such as the PL excitation laser, the type of USB spectrometers, and the detection system, which will tune to the specific areas of resonant absorption/transmission and luminescence of plastic nanoparticles.